Walking around Hilo, Tina and I have been reminded of how much we miss being around happy people. You get waved at when you meet a truck on a back road, people say hello when you pass them on the street, and everyone has a smile on their face. The Hilo Hawaiians are a jolly bunch. It is like being “out west” except no one works as hard. Stores don’t open until 10 am and everything shuts down around 4 pm. You are lucky if you can get something to eat after 8 pm. Working is just not a priority. This results in a bit of a run-down feeling as you are driving around. The houses are not in pristine condition and yards are often littered with multiple cars, varying in degree of functionality. But as you pass the hunched-over, wrinkly, old man walking along the side of the road, wearing board shorts and an oversized t-shirt, and he gives you a “hang loose” hand motion, you get the feeling they don’t really mind. This side of the island is filled with outlaws and outcasts and they all seem to get along just fine. The town of Hilo is still looks like it did when it went through its boom (from the looks of it, in the ‘60s?) and has since nearly become a ghost town. The few shops that remain, however, are awesome restaurants and cool little boutiques. They are up to date on the farm-to-table food movement and do an excellent job. Mostly you get the vibe that they, the locals, are happy as long as they can get to the water.
Wednesday morning started with a stop by the Hilo Farmer’s Market. Every kind of tropical fruit was present. We got ourselves papayas, mangos, pineapple, coconut, rambutans, lychees and raw macadamia nuts.
 |
| Papayas. |
After ample fruit purchasing, we headed north to the Waipio Valley. It was about a mile hike pretty much straight down a valley wall and then, for fun, we hike about a mile up the other side because were told it was a fantastic view… you be the judge.
 |
| Waipio Valley. |
The bottom of the valley provided us with beautiful black sands, a tropical fruit lunch and entertainment provided by the local surfers. We napped in order to regained our strength to make the trek back up the hill.
 |
| At the bottom, looking up the valley. |
 |
| Nap Time. |
On the way out of the valley, we were attacked by wild horses.
 |
| Wild Horse Attacking Tina |
No comments:
Post a Comment